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What Did You Get for Christmas?

I know, I KNOW, I bitch about the rampant consumerism at Christmas, and then I wax poetic about how much I love buying my kids gifts (I do!), and then I go back to feeling weird/guilty about consuming so much STUFF this time of year… and NOW I’m excitedly asking you WHAT DID YOU GET THIS YEAR?

I’m all over the place– WHAT OF IT?

But really, even more than I enjoy shopping and gift guide lists and planning for Christmas, I LOVE hearing about what people received that they loved.

My favorite gifts this year were:

*a purple purse from Target from my kids. (I told Marin “Tell Daddy that Mommy wants the Purple Purse with a RED TAG.” And lo and behold, he/they bought the right one! (And wouldn’t you know that Target no longer has it listed on their website?! Minus ten points, TARGET.)

*Fiestaware salt and pepper containers and a butter dish in peacock blue from my mom.

*In total, three new pairs of Smartwool socks, like this:

I love, love, LOVE Smartwool socks. I got a couple of pairs last year too and wearing them is one of my favorite parts of winter. Two of the pairs I got this year are thick on the bottom and thinner on the top, which is AWESOME. The all-thick pairs are warm and comfy but some of my shoes don’t fit well with them. This thick/thin combo is the perfect solution. Warm, but my shoes fit.

*And of course, my Keurig.

As much as I love drinking coffee in the morning, I’ve never EVER loved the “ritual” of MAKING the damn stuff. In fact, I HATE making coffee.

But not anymore! I really do love the Keurig. I can use my little hose thingy on my sink to fill it up (only every few days), I pick out a cute little K cup, pop it in, and BAM! Coffee! It’s… fun. Yes, friends, I’m here to tell you making coffee is now FUN!

One of my goals that didn’t make it to my list is to drink less coffee. Well, more specifically, to drink less CREAMER (less sugar), which in turn means to drink less coffee. You know how it goes. And I’m finding with this, it’s much easier to do since I brew by the cup instead of having a whole pot sitting there, waiting to be used up. Also, I’ve been brewing my first cup with regular coffee and then switching to decaf for my 2nd cup, which is so easy to do with the K cups (but totally not worth the effort with a regular coffee pot.)

A couple of things I don’t like: I can’t compost my coffee grounds anymore. (But I’m consuming and wasting WAY LESS coffee, so maybe it’s a trade-off? Still, I hate throwing the plastic cups in the trash.) Also, it splatters a little while it’s brewing into my cup, which is a tiny annoyance. Finally, right now I’m finding the purchasing of the K cups to be a little overwhelming. So many options! Such varying price ranges! What kind do I buy??? But I think this is a Beginner’s Problem that will iron out over time.

Perhaps I’m still in the honeymoon phase, but so far, two thumbs up for the Keurig.

I got a few other things for Christmas too, like a couple of pairs of pj’s and a new CD. The one thing I wanted but DIDN’T get (to be fair, I didn’t know I wanted it until the 11th hour) was an electric blanket. I think I might have to buy one for myself one of these days…

So, indulge me, will you? What did YOU get that you loved? Anything you really wanted but didn’t get? I really want to know!

I got the best gift I’ve received in years: my husband finally listened to my begging and got all of our old camcorder tapes converted to digital format so I can watch our wedding, our honeymoon trip to Hawaii, videos of when my nearly 8 year old was a baby, and other things I haven’t been able to see in years. Best gift ever. Also I got some fuzzy socks that actually keep my feet warm – score!

My parents spent something like 100 hours putting all of our Flip videos of Felicity from the past 9.5 months onto DVD, so we can watch them on our TV instead of huddled over our laptop. Super thoughtful and something we wouldn’t do for ourselves because it’s too labor-intensive and technologically frustrating!

I got some new Fiestaware too! A serving platter and a couple of big bowls. LOVE. Also, a Gap fleece and new barstools.

In 2010 a major win was weaning Scott off of sugared coffee creamer (Coffeemate) and switching him to plain cream (no sugar). Of course, *I* make the coffee in our house for the both of us so I’m basically In Charge. But, I think he’s on board.

The thing is, I really love my coffee with cream. Like, I really really enjoy it. I’ve tried it every other way and it’s just not the same! So I figured I don’t have to give it up completely… I just have to drink less of it, right? (The worst is sugar-free coffeemate. UGGG. Tastes like hot diet coke. BLECH!)

What colors of Fiestaware did you get? We have all the colors, which I love.

Torsten and I did not exchange gifts this year due to budgetary constraints. BUT our parents both bought us awesome furniture: the nursery dresser from my parents and a set of (PURPLE) dining room chairs from Torsten’s parents. The delivery for the chairs is scheduled for the day after my due date, so it will be a race between baby and chairs to see who gets here first!

Just commenting with a tip on the Keurig. Once the novelty of the pre-filled cups wears off a little (especially the price), you can purchase a plastic re-usable cup that you fill with your own grounds. Still easier/better than having to make a whole pot, but eliminates all those pesky plastic throwaways (and also makes you think just a tad longer about that second/third/fourth cup). I’ve had my machine for three years now and still love it for those days when I don’t need a whole pot.

And since you asked, one of my favorite gifts was several stoneware jars for storing coffee and salt in my kitchen. Such a simple way to pretty up some more boring kitchen items.

Fun stuff! (Also, so jealous of your Fiestaware. I so wish we’d registered for that when we got married!)

I didn’t want anything (we said no gifts this year since we spent thousands upgrading our upstairs and downstairs TV systems, but a few weeks before Christmas, I made the mistake of buying a few things ((t-shirts and a book and some cheap tool))s for Chris), so then he felt the need to get me something too. Damn him! Anyway, I got a mandoline slicer (been coveting one FOREVER) and a fuzzy blanket (one for me and one for the unborn baby — he wanted us to be twins, haha)

I’ve always wanted some stainless steel measuring cups, too! I really should keep a wish-list year round, because when Christmas or my birthday rolls around, I almost always can’t remember or think of things I want…

(Smartwool socks here are around $18. Steep! Which is why they are a great gift… I’ve never bought myself a pair.)

My favorite gift was my ipad! I love love love it!!! As for smartwool socks i wear them with my Danskos and business suits all winter long. I refuse to buy Uggs due to my love of smartwool socks. Glad to hear someone shares my love

Love, love my Keurig too! My faves are Dark Magic by Green Mountain and Donut Shop by Coffee People. I used to buy online but now just buy at whatever store has a sale. Also, I’ve noticed that over time, the Keurig kind of makes me drink MORE coffee. Especially once you find which ones you REALLY like! Oh and I am relatively new reading here…and just wanted to say hello 🙂